Category: Homemade Italian

We are waiting for Spring here in Pittsburgh, PA. Two weeks ago my kids got light sunburn on their faces because it was 75 degrees and sunny, two days ago we had ice and snow and wind and…I seriously just got chilled writing this! Ha!

Mother Nature’s lack of consistency is disturbing. I guess will accept the gloomy, rainy April days only because in May we get to smell the flowers!

Until Spring decides to show up, smell the garlic! Cook, experiment in the kitchen, keep yourself busy! Not only is garlic full of amazing health benefits like lowering cholesterol and lowering the risk of heart disease, it also adds robust flavor to everyday cooking.

Lately, I have been double-garlicking, which is utilizing garlic olive oil along with fresh chopped garlic. When used in combination, the flavors transform a healthy chicken breast or vegetable dish to ah-mazing! Here are the recipeS…Yep, two today!!

Directions:
Preheat oven 425 degrees.
Place brussels sprouts in a pan.
Coat with oil,lemon juice, and salt/pepper.
Slice the lemon and place a few pieces on top of sprouts.
Roast until edges of sprouts are crispy. Approx. 6-9 minutes.

Garlic and parmesan make a beautiful couple. My absolute favorite chicken wing toppings, the combo enhances simple french fries or a succulent lobster tail. When adding garlic and parmesan, we cannot forget the vehicle for ease of use…butter! Or olive oil if you want a slightly less salty, less buttery alternative. For easy coating, I use a pastry brush and always top with extra fresh grated Parmesan.
Garlic Parmesan Knots are a huge hit when served with fish, or a substitute for bread on Italian night!

Show winter who is boss with a big pot of hot soup! I think of this soup as a vegetable soup but somehow adding peas automatically makes it…Sicilian Split Pea Soup!

Maybe it is because we rarely add peas to soup. Because they get super mushy, yes. The fix? Add the peas last or start with dehydrated split peas. The broth base can be chicken stock, bouillon, or this recipe can easily be made into a vegetarian recipe. I didn’t have one on hand, but a ham bone is traditionally put in the stock for even more depth of flavor. Stay warm! Enjoy!

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot.
Add onion and shallot, cook until soft.
Pour in chicken stock and bring to a boil.
Add carrots and celery and cook for 20-30 minutes until softened.
Season with rosemary, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper.
Boil water in another pot and cook pasta until slightly under, al dente.
Drain and return pasta to the pot, adding 2 ladles of soup broth to keep it from sticking.
If adding cooked peas add them last.
Add 1/4 cup of noodles to a soup bowl.
Pour over 1-2 ladles of soup.
Top with fresh grated parmesan cheese and serve hot with a crusty bread.

My food friend Tasha from The Food Tasters was coming over and we were baking with Wigle Whiskey‘s rums for a super fun event. Of course, we had to eat! So I whipped up a pasta with rosemary, lemon, shrimp, mushrooms, and tons of parmesan cheese. It was amazing!

The Food Tasters’ Tasha said it was her best meal in months! Good old home cookin’ is the best and I can’t wait to share this recipe with you! It’s so easy and absolutely delicious.

I served it with my favorite salad- baby greens tossed with candied pecans and dried cranberries and topped with a homemade honey lemon dressing! I am hooked on a local honey “The Wright Stuff” made by the beautiful beekeeper and WTAE-TV news anchor Michelle Wright! It is smooth and not too sweet making delicious dressings, sauces, and baked goods! Click here for the HONEY LEMON DRESSING RECIPE!

And oooh the pasta- Setaro pasta is my favorite dry pasta because it cooks up like fresh pasta. A little more expensive, like 5X, but it is so worth it! In Pittsburgh, I get my pasta at Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. in the city’s shopping district, the Strip!
Ok, I will stop talking…
Here is the recipe!

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place shrimp on a foil-lined cookie sheet.
Drizzle half of the melted butter, half of one lemon, and sprinkle 1/2 tbsp. chopped rosemary on the shrimp.
Bake 7-10 minutes or until shrimp are pink.
Line mushrooms on a foil-lined cookie sheet.
Drizzle the remaining butter, squeeze one half of a lemon, and sprinkle chopped rosemary.
Bake 5 minutes or until fragrant and slightly cooked.
Boil pasta in a large pot until al dente.
Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil to a large sauce pan.
Add white wine, shrimp, and mushrooms.
Drain pasta and add to the pan.
Mix in parmesan cheese and coat.
Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish, and enjoy!

My quick pan pork chops are just like grandma’s except I add a Parmesan crust. I use the traditional 3-step crusting process, egg dip, breadcrumbs, Parmesan topping. You might say why not mix the Parmesan and herbs with the breadcrumbs? Save a step? Yes, but you chance not getting half as much Parmesan to stick! We can’t have that! By tossing the pork chop twice, the tiny spots that the breadcrumbs didn’t cover get filled in with parm!

So I was totally in the mood for an apple -pear side dish to accompany these chops, something sweet but still fall. I came up with an Apple Pear Cranberry Risotto! The best part is I rehydrated the cranberries with Wigle Whiskey’s “Landlocked” rum!

With all of the favorite holiday flavors, this risotto would be fabulous alongside Thanksgiving dinner, your Holiday ham, or just because! Serve it with a savory meal or top it with ice cream for dessert!

Directions:
Melt butter in a large sauce pan.
Add apples, pears, and sugar.
Cook until they turn golden and soften.
Add cranberries with any rum left in the pan and arborio rice. Mix well.
Heat milk until hot but not boiling. I used my large glass measuring cup.
Add milk 1/2 cup at a time, constantly stirring and allowing the milk to absorb into the rice and cook each time. You will need anywhere from 3-4 cups. Keep adding milk and stirring until rice is al dente.
Remove from heat and add spices.
Mix well and serve warm.

Directions:
Set up 3 pie plates in a row.
In the first pie plate, whisk 2 eggs.
In the second plate, add the Panko breadcrumbs.
In the third plate, add the Parmesan and remaining ingredients.

Dip the pork chops in the egg, flipping to coat both sides.
Then cover both sides with Panko breadcrumbs, and then the Parmesan mixture.
Continue with all chops.
Heat 2 tbsp. Oil in a large pan.
Add pork chops, flip when brown approximately 5 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.
Let stand to absorb juices and serve!

Linguini clams is probably my all time favorite dish besides seafood pasta, which is pretty much the same thing. I think because it has a light “sauce,” just a splash of garlic olive oil, white wine, lemon spritzed yum on each bite. Sooooo good- there is seriously something addicting about it! I was thinking, what if I put these heavenly bites on a crispy pizza crust? And so my white clam pizza was born…topped with fresh mozzarella, red onion, and fresh basil.

Yep! As classy as a fancy appetizer or as “game day” as a buffalo chicken dip, you can take this pizza anywhere!

The no yeast easy pizza dough recipe is one to keep forever. One time I was out of yeast packets and added some baking soda to my pasta dough recipe, totally worked! It’s a thin crust. You can add herbs for flavor or leave it plain! Experiment, try different things, and let me know what works!

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
Make a volcano and fill the center with water and olive oil.
Gradually push the flour into the liquid little by little until well mixed.

Traditional Southern fried green tomatoes are actually tart, unripened red tomatoes, breaded and fried in oil. Their firmness makes them perfect for frying! I was given some gorgeous, solid heirloom tomatoes that were so sweet, not mushy at all, so I decided to fry them for a sweeter version. Of course topping them with parmesan cheese and fresh basil for a totally perfect mix of flavors!
Heirloom tomatoes are the best. Passed down from generation to generation, heirlooms’ taste will far exceed any tomato you find at the grocery store. Found in an array of colors, they all taste a bit different.

I made a Caprese salad last night using really ripened heirlooms. I’m not sure which ones tasted better yellow, orange, red/green striped, brown? They are all amazingly delicious!
Ok, back to frying them. So the trick is to use firm tomatoes, and fry them in a hot pan. This way the outside “crust” will be nice and crunchy.

Perfect as an appetizer or dinner, these bun-less meatball sliders bring together the flavors of meatballs in sauce topped with fresh grated parmesan cheese without the tradition. Ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, and a parmesan crisp create a clean and colorful stack of deliciousness.

Seriously, who needs the bun? And, seriously, who can live in this world without parmesan crisps? Parmesan crisps take 5 minutes to make and, like a great pair of earrings, they dress up everything!

Thinking produce? Us, too! We cannot wait for fresh, local vegetables! Have you ever thought of subscribing to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program? Although the name suggests you need to roll up your sleeves and help farm along with others, the exact opposite is true… You pick up your box. Done.

Many farms near Pittsburgh offer CSA programs that include produce, eggs, cheese, and even meat. A farmer who is part of the Pittsburgh Public Market family, Elliott Lengel of Lengel Brothers Farm, offers the community a fabulous CSA program out of Mercer, PA.

Lengel Brothers Farm- Mercer, PA

The Lengel Brothers Farm CSA program runs August through November, pick up locations include the Public Market in the Strip, and they offer a discount for members starting now! The program runs 14 weeks and the pricing is $120 for a quarter share, $200 for a half share, and $350 for a full share. Members can pick your own items for you basket or get what you get! Elliott also bakes homemade breads and offers jams and many other condiments at a discount for members!

Pasta Primavera is one of my favorite, quick and easy healthy dishes! Originating from LeCirque in New York City, Pasta Primavera was discovered by accident when Mr. Maccioni and his family were asked to prepare dinner for a food tour in Canada. Mr. Maccioni was forced to do a vegetable fridge raid and tossed it with pasta and fresh grated parmesan cheese. When the guests asked what he called the dish he responded, “Pasta Primavera!” The dish is not on the menu at Le Cirque these days, but the dish is made table side for those who ask.

If you are having company at your home this weekend…They are probably going to end up getting snowed in and spending the weekend!

Here in Western PA, the snow and cold have been relentless. The desire to leave the house is about a zero, and pantry- fridge raiding dinners are what’s in! My go-to option is a quick pan pasta!

Depending on the what ingredients you have, your pan pasta can consist of rich vegetables, a meat, and definitely some beautiful greens! Simply boil your favorite fork pasta like penne, bow ties, or even rigatoni. Get the other ingredients cooked in a large pan and toss the pasta to coat! Don’t forget to top with fresh grated Parmesan and/or Locatelli Romano for a beautiful finish!